There were two ways New York Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Royer described CD Olimpia of Honduras following a 1-1 draw in the opening leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 at Estadio Nacional in San Jose, Costa Rica Thursday night.
“Savvy” was the nice way the Austrian put it.
“Dirty” was the other.
“It’s tough because they’re pretty savvy,” Royer said after the match. “They’re playing dirty and we knew that, but it’s always difficult when you talk about it and then it actually happens.”
Statistically speaking, it was the Red Bulls who were called for twice as many fouls and four New York players were booked to just two for Olimpia. But Royer alluded to inconsistencies from Panamanian referee John Pitti, without mentioning him by name.
“They’re definitely playing really dirty and I don’t want to look for excuses, but there’s also another guy who’s really questionable on that field who’s going to make some decisions, but now we know them better and that’s good,” he said. “We’re looking forward to having them at Red Bull Arena.”
The aggregate series shifts to New Jersey March 1, which is the biggest positive the Red Bulls leave Costa Rica with — that and Royer’s first-half away goal, which would prove decisive if Olimpia fail to score at Red Bull Arena.
“i think every team that’s coming to Red Bull Arena will have a difficult time there,” Royer said. “We try to make it really difficult for them and if we play the same soccer as always in Red Bull Arena then I’m pretty confident and can’t wait for it and to get a good result.”
In a post-match press conference, Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch rued opportunities to tack onto the lead in the first half and credited Olimpia for raising its level in the second half. With another week to work on fitness and sharpness, Marsch believes the game will be played on his team’s terms at home next Thursday.
“i know we’re not at our sharpest right now, or at our best, but certainly now looking forward to the leg back home,” Marsch said. “We’ll have control of the game, we always do at Red Bull Arena, and it will be important for us to capitalize on advantages that we have.”